PLEASE HELP THIS NEWBIE!!

[tony balogna]

I'm wanting to make my liquid castile soap more hydrating. I hear BTMS (Behentrimonium Methosulfate) is a great conditioning additive. Can you mix BTMS 25 to liquid castile soap? If so, how??

 

[lsg]

Soap is not a leave-on product, so I don't think adding a conditioning agent will do much for the soap.

 

[shunt2011]

I agree with lsg. Soap washes off. I’m one who hates any high olive oil recipe. It dries my skin out terribly. You may want to formulate a different recipe.

 

[DeeAnna]

BTMS is a good conditioner ... for hair. Skin ... not so much.

I'm not sure adding an emulsifier to liquid soap would add all that much to the qualities of the product.

ALso we've had recurring issues of late with newcomers using the word "castile" to mean anything from a 100% olive oil soap to a soap made with a blend of several vegetable oils to a soap that is mostly or all coconut oil. THey are all hugely different in their skin feel, lather, and overall performance.

Since "castile" does not have a single defined meaning that everyone agrees on and understands, it would be far better if you provided the recipe so we know the specific fats that you used to make the soap. That would be much more helpful.

 

[coastmutt]

BTMS is a hair conditioner, I'm afraid it won't do much for skin. I would suggest trying your hand at adding specifically moisturizing ingredients in your soap, like cocoa butter, shea butter, or aloe vera. However, since this is a liquid soap I would suggest experimenting with different oils (ie coconut oil, olive oil, etc), and different recipes that are partial to skin moisturization, if you're so inclined.

 

[tony balogna]

My appologies for not being specific. I want to use a castile soap specifically as a SHAMPOO but want to add a conditioning quality to it. The soap is a gel version of castile soap and its ingredients are coconut oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, potassium hydroxide, glycerin, aloe vera extract, shea butter, citric acid, guar gum. Does that help?

 

[DeeAnna]

Being detailed and specific is always good when you're asking for help.

First off, if I was going to wash my hair with soap, I would never use a soap that has coconut oil as the first ingredient of that soap. Coconut oil soap is a strong cleanser and you don't need .

Second thing, unless you're one of a select few, any type of lye-based soap is not a good thing to use for washing hair. The alkalinity (high pH) of soap raises the cuticle of the hair. This makes the hair feel rough and reduces the strength of the hair strand. The long term results for a lot of people is the hair becomes rough and dull and begins to split and break. And that happens even when people also use the recommended acid rinse after washing.

If soap-as-shampoo worked well for most people, I'd be okay recommending it -- after all, I like to make soap -- but that's not turning out to be the case.

Frankly you're far better off to use a shampoo based on synthetic detergents -- they don't have the disadvantages of soap.

 

[tony balogna]

Being detailed and specific is always good when you're asking for help.

First off, if I was going to wash my hair with soap, I would never use a soap that has coconut oil as the first ingredient of that soap. Coconut oil soap is a strong cleanser and you don't need .

Second thing, unless you're one of a select few, any type of lye-based soap is not a good thing to use for washing hair. The alkalinity (high pH) of soap raises the cuticle of the hair. This makes the hair feel rough and reduces the strength of the hair strand. The long term results for a lot of people is the hair becomes rough and dull and begins to split and break. And that happens even when people also use the recommended acid rinse after washing.

If soap-as-shampoo worked well for most people, I'd be okay recommending it -- after all, I like to make soap -- but that's not turning out to be the case.

Frankly you're far better off to use a shampoo based on synthetic detergents -- they don't have the disadvantages of soap.

Thanks for the scolding DeeAnna, and your theories about soap-as-shampoo but the question is still unanswered. Can you mix BTMS 25 to liquid castile soap? If so, how?

 

[DeeAnna]

Maybe this thread from 2015 will answer your questions -- I made soap shampoo that feels like syndet!!

Essentially the thread is about melting btms, blending it with water to make a simple water based conditioner, then blending this with the liquid/cream soap.

For those who are interested, I also want to mention this thread happened before I (and a few others who participated in the thread) learned how harsh a lye-based soap is on our hair, so take this thread with a grain of salt.

 

[KimW]

Ok - what the heck, over, is it recently with my fellow new folks getting their panties twisted? Are we getting trolled? Booooooooo
I read no scolding. None, nil, nada.
I read a compliment with appreciation, "Being detailed and specific is always good when you're asking for help. "
And the rest of what I read was nothing but good info and a very kindly worded caution, that should have received a "Thanks" in reply.

Y'all stop it.

P.S. Thanks for the info and link, @DeeAnna. I'd never heard of BTMS! Don't be jealous, but apparently I'm one of those happy few who can use soap in their hair.

 

[Arimara]

That sounds like a nice soap but a very bad shampoo.

Ok - what the heck, over, is it recently with my fellow new folks getting their panties twisted? Are we getting trolled? Booooooooo
I read no scolding. None, nil, nada.
I read a compliment with appreciation, "Being detailed and specific is always good when you're asking for help. "
And the rest of what I read was nothing but good info and a very kindly worded caution, that should have received a "Thanks" in reply.

Y'all stop it.

P.S. Thanks for the info and link, @DeeAnna. I'd never heard of BTMS! Don't be jealous, but apparently I'm one of those happy few who can use soap in their hair.

We're probably being trolled. It is that time of the year. Oh, I've heard of BTMS but I didn't know it sucked as a skin conditioner (thankfuly too because Cetyl Alcohol is awesome). I'm not jealous about the soap working for you though. I already have the home advantage of being able to safely go 2 weeks between washes without drying out my hair. Don't ask me how much I spend on conditioner though.

 

[TheGecko]

Don't be jealous, but apparently I'm one of those happy few who can use soap in their hair.

My first husband was that way and he had nice hair...he used Pert too (ick). I tried it once...NEVER again. After spending well over an hour trying to get all the tangles out of my hair (below the bra strap length), when it finally dried...it felt like greasy straw.